Facile strategy for controllable synthesis of stable mesoporous black TiO2 hollow spheres with efficient solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

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Hu, W
Zhou, W
Zhang, K
Zhang, X
Wang, L
Jiang, B
Tian, G
Zhao, D
Fu, H
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2016
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Abstract

Hydrogenated black TiO2 has been proven to tune the bandgap and utilize solar energy effectively. Herein, we report a facile strategy for controllably synthesizing stable mesoporous black TiO2 hollow spheres (MBTHSs) with a narrow bandgap via a template-free solvothermal approach combined with a small amine molecule reflux-encircling process and subsequent high-temperature hydrogenation, which are composed of highly crystalline pore-walls, Ti3+ in frameworks and surface disorders. The encircled protectors especially ethylenediamine result in high thermostability of the TiO2 hollow structures, which not only facilitate hydrogenation (600 °C), but also inhibit grain growth and anatase-to-rutile phase transformation as well as retain a high structural integrity. The MBTHSs with a diameter of ∼700 nm possess a relatively high surface area of ∼80 m2 g-1, large pore size and pore volume of ∼12 nm and ∼0.20 cm3 g-1, respectively. The diameters and wall thicknesses are controllable from ∼500 nm to 1 μm and ∼35 to 115 nm, respectively. The high crystallinity, integrated hollow structure, Ti3+ in frameworks and surface disorders of the MBTHSs give rise to an extending photoresponse from the ultraviolet to the visible light region and significant improvement in the solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate (241 μmol h-1 0.1 g-1), which is two times as high as that of black TiO2 nanoparticles (118 μmol h-1 0.1 g-1) and almost three times that of pristine mesoporous TiO2 hollow spheres (81 μmol h-1 0.1 g-1), respectively.

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Journal of Materials Chemistry A

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4

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19

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Macromolecular and materials chemistry

Materials engineering

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Hu, W; Zhou, W; Zhang, K; Zhang, X; Wang, L; Jiang, B; Tian, G; Zhao, D; Fu, H, Facile strategy for controllable synthesis of stable mesoporous black TiO2 hollow spheres with efficient solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2016, 4 (19), pp. 7495-7502

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